Here’s a few gadgets you might find helpful to take with you on your next trip.

1. OffGrid Solar Backpack

Keeping your gadgets powered up while onnthe go is a challenge. This backpack blurs the line between clothing and tech gear. The OffGrid from Voltaic is a backpack with a built-in solar panel charger. The solar panel is removable and can be attached to other bags or anything else as it charges to get the most sun. It charges all your handheld electronics and has 1,500 cubic inches of storage space, a padded laptop sleeve, integrated phone pouch and plenty of other pockets.

The 2wo 2.0 Watt Solar Panels generate power in sunlight and they are waterproof, lightweight and built to withstand abuse. The Universal USB Battery stores power for use anytime and is specially designed to charge efficiently from solar power. When not in the sun, the battery can be charged using the USB Power Cable or optional AC travel charger
or DC car charger which makes it just as useful on the grid as off. You can connect to your devices with the USB Port or 9 standard adapters. Usually 4-5 hours in the sun is all that is needed to fully charge a typical phone and 1 hour will provide about 3 hours of talk time.

What else could you want more from a backpack? There is more. The shell uses 600D fabric made from recycled PET (soda bottles), which is tough, waterproof, lightweight, and UV resistant and weights only 4.5 lbs (2050 grams) and that’s including battery and solar panels.

OffGrid Solar Backpack costs only $250 and is available online and in stores all over the world, so you won’t have to break the bank to get it.

2. Polaroid PoGo

“Reinventing Instant Photography for the Digital Age” is the vision behind this product. The Polaroid PoGo Digital Instand Mobile Photo Printer (Wow!) is small enough to carry with you and works both with digital cameras and just about any cell phone that has a camera, via Bluetooth.

Don’t worry about ink cartridges any more, since this device uses focused heat to cause the different parts of the paper to expose different colors. The magic comes from the paper, as this is not usual printing paper, but zinc paper with dye crystals embedded inside. Full-color, pocket-sized, sticky-back prints of your cell phone photos are available in about a minute.

Watch this video to see how it works and get the Instand Mobile Photo Printer from popular merchants like Amazon, Target or Radioshack.

3. Kensington ComboSaver® Combination Portable Notebook Lock

“Don’t be a victim of notebook theft. Protect your notebook and sensitive data on it with a notebook lock” the manufacturer advises.

Imagine how fast your laptop and the precious data it contains could fly out the door if you left it unattended in a Starbucks in London or Paris! This easy-to-use Kensington ComboSaver lock has a low-profile design and self-coiling cable for easy travel to keep notebooks securely anchored.

Where to lock your laptop:

At your desk:

• Most desks have pass-through holes for computer, electrical and phone cables. Put your ComboSaver Combination Portable Notebook Lock cable through the pass-through hole and wrap it around the back of the desk or desk bracket.

At your hotel, attach the lock:

• To the closet’s clothing hanger bars
• To the arms of the hotel room chair (but make sure they’re big
  enough to resist breakage!)
• To a bolted-down table
• Through a dresser drawer handle (make sure that it is strong
• enough to resist a strong pull!)

In your car, attach the lock:

• Around the steering wheel
• Around the headrest attachment bars if the headrest is not detachable)
• In the trunk, through the spare tire if it uses a locking mechanism
• To the baby seat hook above the back seat
• Around the seat belt loop in shoulder-belt seat belts (If possible, put your laptop in the trunk or below the seats so it is not visible)

At the airport:

• Attach the lock around the bolted-down seats in waiting areas of most airports.

Get your Kensington ComboSaver® Combination Portable Notebook Lock for only $25.

4. The Folding Plug

“The thinnest laptop is still powered by the thickest plug”, that’s the status quo the company Made In Mind wants to change. They want to bring clean simple design to everyday objects and created the Folding Plug, which transforms from a bulky three-pin plug into a portable, hassle-free plug ideal for people on the go. When not in use, the UK Folding Plug transforms into a 10 mm-thick flat object.

We never thought of folding the plug but only making it smaller. We watched a video of the gadget and were impressed with the mock-ups and the idea sketches behind it.

Want to buy? The Folding Plug should be available in 2011. To find out when you have to write to Made in Mind.

5. Rechargeable silicone case with built-in battery for the iPhone 4

The AP1201 from Energizer is a protective silicone case and charging unit that extends the life of the iPhone 4. It provides twice the power to keep you going. It also features power management with two charge modes for priority or simultaneous charging, automatic charging based on battery life and smart LEDs on the back that monitor power status. The AP1201 can be recharged 500 times thanks to its own USB charging cable and has an integrated bumper that claims to be able to eliminate the signal degradation issue.

Watch the buzz around it and get it for $70 from the Energizer Official Store.

Happy traveling around the world with cool gadgets and Trip Journal!